


Almost A Runaway

by diangelonnico



Series: Royal Runaways [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M, Peasant! Percy, Prince! Jason, fairytale AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-11
Updated: 2014-07-11
Packaged: 2018-02-08 10:30:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1937490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diangelonnico/pseuds/diangelonnico
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason is the heir to the throne, destined to be married off to some prestigious princess. But Jason would rather get married to the peasant kitchen boy, the one he falls in love with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Almost A Runaway

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pseudorific](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pseudorific/gifts).



> I know, the title is bloody awful but its what you got. So this goes hand in hand with the first part of this series, the pipabeth one which is set in a neighbouring kingdom.  
> I might write more for this one, but I want to finish the pipabeth one first and see how that plays out.  
> Also, this won't make complete and absolute sense if you haven't read the first part, but if pipabeth doesn't float your boat then . . .

Jason grabbed his bag from the wooden kitchen table that the kitchen had filled with goodies for him and he walked out into the yard and across to the stables with a smile on his face. The young kitchen boy, of about Jason’s age was sat on a stool outside peeling carrots. He looked fairly bored, and since Jason had plenty of time on his hands, he thought he’d go and say hi. He didn’t like his father’s attitude of not speaking to the staff; Jason thought they deserved a hello and a thank you here and there. Zeus did not.

Jason did not see his father often so therefore he did not care what he thought, as Zeus had no regard for him. “Hi.” Jason said approaching the black haired boy. Jason dragged a stool up and sat down across from him. “You look like you could do with some company.” He told the boy.

The boy looked up at him, and Jason’s own blue eyes were met with beautiful green ones. They were mesmerising and Jason was so lost in them he didn’t hear what the boy was saying. “Sorry, what?”

The boy chuckled. “I _said_ you’ll get into trouble talking to dirty kitchen boys like me, your highness.”

“Oh. I’m sure my father will live. He’ll get over it.” Jason supplied. He held out his hand to shake. “And please no your highnesses, I’m just Jason.”

The boy put down his knife. “Still a Prince. I’m Percy.” He said shaking Jason’s hand. Percy had a beautiful smile but no, Jason should not think like that. He couldn’t go around fancying pretty kitchen boys when his father was trying to find him a beautiful princess from a neighbouring kingdom to marry.

But still, he could admire attractiveness in the boy, even if he could never own it, never touch it. “It must be fairly boring all day, doing this.” Jason said, making small talk.

“Oh, it is.” The boy said going back to peeling carrots. “But, I’m usually finished by noon and do not have to return till five. You royals seem to eat quite late.”

Jason laughed. “I would like to eat earlier sometimes. Perhaps we could do something when you finish. I do get quite bored in the afternoons.” Jason proposed.

Percy just looked at him in shock. “wh-what. Do something, with me? You’re joking right?”

“No, I’m not joking. I genuinely want to spend time with you. You seem nice.” Jason told him.

Percy let out a laugh. “But I’m a peasant kitchen boy and you are heir to the throne! How could you possibly want to spend time with me? Ha. What will my mother say when she hears this.”

“Does it matter that I was born a prince and you a beggar?”

Percy pointed his knife at Jason, not in a threatening way – in a conversational way. “Not quite a beggar.” He corrected him.

“Sorry, well what do you say? We could go for a walk in the woods or fishing in the stream.” Jason suggested.

Percy smiled. “Well . . . okay then.” He gave in.

“Great!” Jason smiled, pleased with himself. “I’ll meet you here at noon.” And off Jason went, eager to be back by noon at the latest so he could meet Percy. Just because he was supposed to marry the next princess that came along didn’t mean he couldn’t seduce kitchen boys while he was waiting. Personally Jason would prefer to stay here and seduce kitchen boys like Percy forever but, his father wanted him to marry a princess, and Jason didn’t think he had much choice in the matter.

___

Hanging out with Percy soon became Jason’s favourite part of the day. He would meet him every day at noon and they would walk, talk or ride or something until Percy had to go back to work. Percy was so much more fun to hang out with than all the noble rich men that Jason was used to. Percy was wild, carefree, a troublemaker and Jason loved it. He maybe loved him too. No, he _did_ love him.

His crush started the first day Jason met Percy and within a few months it had blossomed into full blown love. Jason loved Percy so so much. He loved the way he smiled at him and laughed when he told a lame joke, or told him about the lame dinners he had to go to. He loved the way Percy’s black hair fell over his forehead and the way he pushed it back so sexily.

After four months, Jason was so sure he was in love. It all happened so fast, one day he was certain they would never be able to be anything, because surely Percy didn’t feel that way and the next day they were kissing by the lake in the woods.

They did that a lot after that day.

__

One day, in October just as the leaves were falling off the trees, Jason waited in the yard for Percy to leave after his night ‘shift.’ Jason was still in his finery from the meal with the King, Queen and various other important people and he suddenly wanted to see Percy. Only Percy.

When Percy came out, still in his dirty clothes and apron, Jason smiled. Percy smiled back. “What are you doing here?” Percy asked. All Jason did was kiss him and soon Percy was struggling to get Jasons clothes off.

Jason took his hand and they ran, as fast as they could so as to not be seen, back to Jason’s chambers. Percy was distracted by the grandeur of the palace momentarily but soon went back to tearing Jason’s clothes off.

They were soon a tangle of bodies on the floor; they didn’t make it to the comfy bed straight away, but eventually.

__

The morning came too quickly. Percy awoke to sunlight in his face, and a face full of blond hair. He was surprised at how comfortable the bed was, he hadn’t realised last night – he’d been too preoccupied. And suddenly he remembered, work. He should be at work preparing breakfast for the boy’s bed he was in.

Remembering this he got out of the bed and pulled his clothes on as fast as he could. He exited Jason’s grand room and hurried down the lush hallway, stopping to pull on his boots that would probably stain the carpet. He ran as fast as he could, earning some funny looks from the maids going about their morning duties. Good job no-one important was around yet to see him running from the princes chambers. He wished he could have stayed but there was already a chance of him getting sacked; he didn’t want to increase it by being later.

___

When Percy eventually got to the kitchens, Clarisse was waiting for him. “Where have you been?” She asked harshly, a hand on her hips.

“I – I . . . I overslept.” Percy lied, well he did but you know.

“I am in the right mind to sack you for this. Almost two hours late. We are never going to have breakfast ready on time.” She scolded.

“I’m sorry.”

“That does not cut it. You are out. Gather your things.”

“NO!” A voice shouted a little too loudly from the stairs. The voice also sounded out of breath. It was Jason. “You can’t sack him.”

“I’m sorry your highness, but why should I not? He has made enough mistakes already.” Clarisse explained.

“Because . . . he was helping me.”

Clarisse laughed. “Helping you do what, tie your shoe?”

Jason straightened his hastily put on jacket. He must have been a fast runner. “Learn how to make a cake. . .so I have something to take if my father ever lets me visit Thalia.”

“Thalia and her vigilante peasant scum of a husband?” Clarisse spat. If it had been anyone else, they would have been on the streets, but Jason knew Clarisse was always like this, and anyway – they couldn’t get a better cook in the next ten kingdoms over. “Well.” She laughed. “You don’t want him showing you how to make a cake. Have a proper cook like me show you.” And she gestured for Jason to follow her into the kitchen.

“You’re let off this time Jackson.” Clarisse called over her shoulder. “Make sure to thank his highness greatly.”

“Oh, he needn’t do that.” Jason said.

“He will.” She told him.

So Jason spent the day trying and failing to make a cake with Clarisse, all for Percy. Was the sex the night before worth it? Yes, absolutely.

__

Jason and Percy were sat on a wall in the courtyard of the palace. Their fingers were intertwined, soft pampered hands in rough calloused hands separating upper class from working class clearly. Jason didn’t care who saw that he was holding hands with the kitchen boy, it wasn’t like anyone important was going to come and hang out in the servants’ yard anyway.

They didn’t say anything for a while, Percy picking up on Jason’s sad and defeated mood. He didn’t know why he felt that way but he knew he wouldn’t like it if he asked questions. Jason would open up in his own time and sure enough he did.

“So . . . I’m getting married.” Jason said not looking at Percy, just squeezing his hand gently. Jason closed his eyes and didn’t open them for a long time. Percy knew better than to say anything. He just sat there, next to Jason, waiting till he was ready to tell him more. “In a month. Only a month.” Jason sounded destroyed. “I – I don’t want to marry some pretty princess and live in a palace and have all these stupid duties thrust upon me, even more than I do now. I – I want to marry you but I can’t and I don’t know what to do Percy.” Jason admitted.

Percy thought about what he had said for a moment. He had said he wanted to marry Percy and that was all Percy could ask for, the want behind the statement, the love behind the statement. And it killed Percy to know that in a months’ time, Jason wouldn’t be _his_ and he never would be again. “Run away with me.” Percy blurted out without thinking about it. Percy tended to that, people said he didn’t have a brain to mouth filter like most people had.

“What?” Jason asked clearly being caught off guard by the question.

“I said run away with me. We can find an old cottage in the woods and make it liveable and just . . be happy. No duties, no curious eyes, no kings or princesses. Nothing but us two, forever.”

Jason looked to be deep in thought for a moment. “I would like that, I really really would, but who would be heir to the throne, who would carry out all my duties. I’m the only one left Percy.”

“The only one left.” Percy scoffed. “What about Hercules, Perseus, Apollo, Arte-”

“Keep your voice down.” Jason scolded cutting Percy off. “You can’t have an illegitimate child on the throne! And it’s not like he’s gonna want Thalia on the throne now she’s married to that Luke guy. No way. Thalia decided that when she slayed that dragon and ran off with him.”

“Still, who cares if there isn’t an heir to throne? It’s your life Jason.”

“But it’s not. It’s the kingdoms life. I – I’m sorry but I can’t. I need to stay here and uphold the good reputation my family has before it crumbles to dust. If both of us ran away . . .”

Percy just looked at Jason. He was upset.

“I’ll, I’ll still come see you, every weekend we can go for walks in the woods like we do now. And I’ll bring you flowers and cakes and when she goes back to visit her own family we can spend the night together.”

“Spend the night together.” Percy repeated in disgust. “Is that what I’m going to become? Your _mistress?_ Like – like Ganymede, the wine server, is to your father?”

“No.” Jason whispered softly. “No. You’ll always come first to me. You’ll always be the only person I ever love like this. No, you won’t be my – my mistress, you’ll be my lover and I’ll yours.” Tears were coming now.

“But isn’t that the same thing? A lover on the side, a mistress?” Percy asked, his tone threatening to get higher.

“Men don’t _love_ their mistresses, not like I love you. They lust after them, and while I lust after you – I love you too. With all my heart I love you.” Jason declared.

Percy turned his head away so he wasn’t looking at Jason. “Still.” He mumbled. “It won’t be the same.” He unlatched his hand from Jason’s and he hopped down. “I’ve got to go back to work.” He said quietly and walked away, his head down. Jason put his head in his hands and he cried.

Many of the servants walking past wondered why the golden prince was sat on the wall of their year crying but none approached him, none wondered what was wrong. He was a prince, he had everything – how could something be wrong when he was due to be married to a beautiful princess and inherit a prospering kingdom?  Maybe it had something to do with the kitchen boy he was always with some of them wondered.

__

Jason sat in his room and sulked for about three days. Maybe he was just a spoilt prince that couldn’t stand having something he wanted taken away from him, or maybe he really did want to go with Percy and he just felt to loyal to his father who didn’t actually give a shit. But if he did go with Percy, he would feel sorry for the princess, being left alone.

Alas, whether he was going to run away with him or not, Jason had to fix things with Percy. So that is how he found himself in the town, a place he had only been a few times before, outside a glorified shed that Percy and his mother called a home. Jason had never ventured into the town alone, and never ever to someone’s house (if he could really call it a house).

He did get some funny looks on his way in, but he suspected most people did not recognise him as the prince and were just bemused by his fancy clothes. It took him a minute to get the courage up before knocking on Percy’s door.

A middle aged woman with greying brown hair and a pretty face answered. “Hello.” She said. “Can I help you?” She clearly didn’t recognise Jason then, good.

“Can I talk to your son, Percy please?” Jason asked.

“Oh, he’s not in trouble is he?” the woman asked.

Jason shook his head. “God no.”

“Good.” Then she turned her head and called “Percy! There’s a rich man here to see you.”

Jason smiled at ‘rich man’. “Does he have blond hair.” A voice, Percys called from somewhere in the back.

“Yes.” She called back.

“A scar above his lip?” Percy asked back.

Percy’s mother turned to look at Jason. “Yes.”

“I don’t want to see him then.” Percy called back, in a moody tone.

“Percy!” His mother scolded. “Get here now. I don’t care if you don’t want to see anyone, this nice nobleman has taken his time to come into the poor part of town to see you, so come here. Right now.”

Percy appeared in a doorway at the far end of the room, his eyes stormy. “He’s not any nobleman mother. . . he’s the prince.”

Percy’s mother’s jaw dropped as she looked at Jason again. “W-well, all the more reason for you to not be a grump about it and be polite.” She turned to Jason. “Can I get you anything your majesty?”

“That will not be necessary. I would just like to take a walk with Percy.”

Sally stepped aside and Percy walked out slowly. Jason let him go ahead of him. Once they were out of the little patch of garden, Percy’s mother closed the door. “You never told your mother huh? About the first time we talked?”

Percy shook his head. “I did not want gossip ruining your reputation.”

Jason simply nodded. “I’m sorry.” He said as they walked through the town. Percy kept his head down.

“That doesn’t mean anything. How – how am I supposed to be loyal to you when you go home to your princess and your kids and your throne and crown in your lovely palace with plenty of staff to wait on you hand and foot at every given moment and I go home to that shitty shed, barely enough food and an old mother who is bound to die?” Percy cried.

Jason was speechless. “I – If you’re struggling for money, I can help.”

“I don’t want your help!” Percy shouted earning some curious glances from passers-by.

“And Percy.” Jason continued. “I’m not asking you to be loyal to me when I’m not loyal to you. I still love you and I’ll always love you . . . but if you” Jason looked down. “If you happen to find someone else, I wouldn’t blame you.” He said tenderly.

“I’m sorry too.” Was all Percy said.

Jason looked over at him and suddenly he just broke down. They were on the outskirts of town now, by the woods. Jason sat down on a log and he just cried. Percy sat next to him and pulled him onto his lap. He rubbed soothing circles on his back and he cried too.

They cried for the love they would lose should Jason marry the princess, they cried for the argument they had and the words said. They cried because no matter how much they loved each other they could never really be together. And while they had known that right from the start it was still a blow to the chest that would render a man on his knees.

They sat there for hours in each other’s company and eventually the tears subsided. “I’ll send you some money.” Jason promised into the silence. Percy didn’t protest this time, which showed he needed it. “Do we not pay the staff enough?” Jason asked.

“You – you do. It’s just my mother. She sometimes needs medicine and since my father died, it’s been hard.”

“W-when did your father die?” Jason asked.

“Before I met you. My mother didn’t want me to get a job, but I had to.”

“When I’m king, I’ll buy you and your mother a nice house and make sure you have enough food and you’ll never go hungry again, promise” Jason told him.

“And what will your princess think?” Percy asked.

“She will think you are a good friend of mine.” Jason said. “but you are much, much more than that.” He said as he kissed Percy’s cheek. “We will figure this out.” Jason said.

Percy nodded, not really believing him and they sat there in silence until a horse pulled up in front of them. “Prince Jason.” The man on the horse said. “I bring news.”

“News?” Jason asked standing up.

“The princess you are due to marry, has gone missing.” He announced.

“What?” Jason asked.

“She left her tower last night, no trace of dragon nor princess. Queen Aphrodite’s guards are looking for her.” He explained. “You need to come back to the palace immediately.”

“Ok. I’ll follow you.” Jason promised and once the man was gone he turned to Percy, who was smiling.

“Marriage off huh?” He said.

“For now.” Jason told him. “I’ll catch you later, I must go.” He said and with a quick kiss he ran.

**Author's Note:**

> I bet you guessed who the princess is that Jason's supposed to marry. Also, please leave a comment or whatever, I love to hear from you! <3


End file.
